WEBVTT ARREST WARRANTS AND SEARCH WARRANTS COULD COME THIS WEEK. EAST AREA RAPIST SUSPECT JOSEPH D ENTERED THE COURTROOM TODAY HANDCUFFED, IN AN ORANGE JUMPSUIT AS THEY DEBATED THE AFFIDAVIT. >> THE FACT THAT THERE IS PUBLIC OVERSIGHT, INSURERS HONESTY IN THE PROCESS. MAX: SHE REPRESENTS MEDIA ENTITIES SEEKING TO HAVE THOSE DOCUMENTS UNSEALED SO THE PUBLIC AND OVERSEE THE PROCESS BY LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE COURT TO BRING THIS CASE TO TRIAL. IN AFFIDAVIT OF A POLICE OFFICER SHOWING WHAT METHODS WERE TAKEN IN THE INVESTIGATION, BY BEAT -- WHY THEY BELIEVE THERE IS REASON TO ISSUE A WARRANT TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE. MAX: PROSECUTORS CALLED FOR SOME REDUCTIONS, INCLUDING WITNESS NAMES. THE DEFENSE FEARS TO THINGS, HOW MEDIA COVERAGE COULD INFLUENCE THE JURY. >> IT IS IMPOSSIBLE NOW TO GAUGE WHAT THOSE PROBLEMS WILL BE AND HOW SIGNIFICANT THEY WILL BE. IT IS EASIER NOW BE FOR THE CAT IS OUT OF THE BAG TO KEEP THAT CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATIONAL -- INFORMATION CONFIDENTIAL. MAX: SECOND, THE EFFECT ON WITNESSES. >> THE CONCERN IS THE EFFECT OF EXPOSING WITNESSES TO CONFIDENTIAL FACTS. MAX: CITING OTHER WIDELY PUBLICIZED CASES, CAROLAN ARGUED DEANGLEO CAN STILL GET A FAIR TRIAL IF THE INFORMATION IS SHARED. >> COURTS HAVE REPEATEDLY SAID THAT EVEN WHEN THERE’S PUBLICITY THAT’S WIDESPREAD AND EXTENSIVE, A DEFENDANT IN A CRIMINAL CASE CAN HAVE A FAIR TRIAL IN THE ORIGINAL JURISDICTION. MAX: BOTH THE DEFENSE AND PROSECUTION ARE NOW IN THE PROCESS OF REDACTING INFORMATION

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Judge weighs release of warrants in East Area Rapist case

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Updated: 6:50 PM PDT May 29, 2018

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) —

A Sacramento County judge on Tuesday weighed how much information to release about the arrest of a former police officer accused of being the East Area Rapist.

Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Sweet began considering the issue after a hearing where attorneys for suspect Joseph DeAngelo argued that sharing the details could lead to an unfair trial.

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Sweet indicated he's likely to release some information and is working with prosecutors and defense attorneys to determine how much to redact, which would continue to shield some details from public view.

KCRA's parent company Hearst Television, The Associated Press and other news outlets are pushing for information from search and arrest warrants to be made public.

Transparency helps the public act as a check on the legal process and ensures investigators are acting appropriately, said Duffy Carolan, a lawyer for the news outlets.

"The press, the public and the victims deserve open proceedings," she argued. "The fact that there's public oversight and an access right to that information ensures honesty in that process."

Authorities arrested 72-year-old DeAngelo in April. He is accused of being the notorious East Area Rapist, later named the Golden State Killer, who investigators said began a crime spree in the Rancho Cordova area that went on for 10 years. The East Area Rapist was believed to be responsible for at least 12 homicides, 50 rapes and 150 burglaries across nearly a dozen counties up and down California.

Investigators have searched his home in Citrus Heights, his computer and his cellphone.

DeAngelo has been charged with 12 counts of murder in Sacramento, Ventura, Orange and Santa Barbara counties over the last several weeks.

Defense attorneys said the warrants include information about other allegations against DeAngelo that can no longer be tried, as well as details on evidence and methods.

Making that information public could taint jurors and witnesses, defense lawyer David Lynch said.

"It's impossible now to gauge what those problems will be and how significant they will be. It is easier now before the cat is out of the bag to keep that confidential information confidential," Lynch said. "We have witnesses to events decades ago. Fading memories are going to be a huge issue in this case."

Prosecutors did not object to the release of the documents but want to shield some information, including investigatory techniques and victim and witness identities.